Closure for collapsible paper stock barrels and method of forming the same



4, 1937.. ca. s. JONES 2,079,292 CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE PAPER STbCK BARRELS AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Aug. 15, 1934 4Sheets-Sheet l FIE- l I u 76 9 0 -;Ioao-ooooo-nooo .38 52 no 0 o D Q o o INVENTOR. fewekfi zes,

ATTORNEYE- y 4, 1937. G. s. JONES 2,079,292

CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE PAPER STOCK BARRELS AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Aug. 15, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY-5.

G. S. JONES G THE SAME CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE PAPER- STOCK BARRELS AND METHOD OF FORMIN Filed Aug. 15, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIIII I l 1 I l I I I INVENTOR.

I 'EI 5--4- flagged. fi zes ATTORNEYS.

May 4, 1937. G, 5 JONES 2,079,292

CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE PAPER STOCK BARRELS AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME Filed Aug. 15, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fiw ATTORNEY,

Patented May 4, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE PAPER STOCK BARRELS AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAIWE ration of New York Application August 15, 1934, Serial No. 739,980

7 Claims.

This invention relates to closures for collapsible containers, and has for its object a method for preliminarily securing a metallic ring to an end closure, which closure is to be afterwards assembled with, and secured by means of the ring, to the end of the tubular body or barrel of the container, forming the bottom or cover therefor.

The closure and the barrel are usually formed of paper stock material and the term paper stock is used in the interest of brevity, as the containers and closures are usually of pasteboard or paper stock, although, insofar as this invention is concerned, any other suitable fibrous material may be used.

Containers of this character are shipped in what is known as knock-down condition. That is, the barrels of the containers are folded or collapsed to a flat form, and are arranged in compact bundles and shipped in cartons by the container manufacturer to the customer.

The end closures are a separate item, but are also shipped with the collapsed barrels, there being a sufficient number of end closures in each carton to provide a bottom and/or top closure for each barrel. The customer removes the collapsed barrels from the carton and expands them into cylindrical form, and with a simple machine, or press, applies the closures thereto. One use of these containers is for shipping ice-cream, the ice-cream manufacturer fabricating, or assembling, the containers in numbers as desired. Obviously, many problems arise in connection with the manufacturing and assembling of such containers, particularly due to the fact that while the containers must be shipped in knock-down and compact form and be assembled at the customers place of business with a minimum consumption of time and without the employment of intricate machinery and skilled labor, the containers nevertheless must be durable and liquid tight when finally assembled.

The idea of using knock-down fibrous containers, which are assembled at the customers plant, is approved and accepted by the trade. However, up to the present time, the cost of the assembling by the customer prevents any extensive use of such containers and also the fact that the containers now in use, when assembled, are not sufiiciently durable and tight. Also, the number of parts making up such containers makes the price of the container substantially prohibitive.

The broad object of this invention is to so form the end closures of the container and so pre-assemble them that the closures may subsequently be firmly secured to the barrels of the container, by the customer at his plant, through the use of a very simple machine, and by any unskilled labor, and with the minimum consumption of time.

This invention relates to the formation of and preliminary assembly of the end closures with an attaching ring. The method of finally securing the closure, with the metal ring, to the barrel forms no part of this invention.

The principal object of this invention is the method for preliminarily assembling, or attaching, the metal ring to the closure, and also the closure, as an article of manufacture, with the ring so assembled thereon that the user can take the closure and the ring as a unit, and readily apply and secure it to the barrel.

The invention consists in the method and in the closure hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, fragmentary elevations of diiierent portions of a machine for forming the closure and for carrying out the method, Figures 1 and 2 together constituting an elevation, partly in section, of an entire machine as a closure punching and ring applying machine.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, longitudinal, sectional view of the mechanism forming part of the machine for carrying out this method, the starting position of the dies being shown at the left hand side of Figure 3, and the intermediate position on the right hand side of Figure 3.

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of the lower dies and contiguous portion of the carrier with the finished closure with the ring attached thereon.

Figure 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the closure with the ring preliminarily attached thereto.

Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9, are fragmentary, sectional views showing the relative positions of the attaching ring and flange of the closure during successive stages of presecuring the ring to the closure.

Uusually, the barrels are cylindrical and hence the end closures discoidal and the rings circular, but the barrels may be of other shapes, as noncircular and the closures and rings correspondingly shaped.

The method consists in stamping, or striking,

out a closure from a web, forming an outwardly flaring marginal flange on the closure, laying the ring which is U shaped, or inverted U shaped, in general form in cross section on, substantially concentric with the outwardly flaring marginal flange of the closure, and then compressing the flange into a smaller diameter so that it is of less inclination with the edge of the flange in the channel of the U formation, and then turning in the edge, or lip, of the flange at the outer side of the U formation, so that the edge of the closure hooks onto the inturned lip and is securely assembled with the ring and frictionally retained therein against iuiintentional displacement by a friction joint acting snap catch fashion.

More specifically, the method consists in laying the ring on, and substantially concentric with, the flange of the closure with the flange projecting toward the channel of the U formation, and with the inner wall of the U formation, which is wider in axial direction than the wall resting on the closure, contracting the flange toward a right angular position relative to the closure, moving the edge of the flange into the channel of the U shaped formation by a relative axial movement of the ring and closure, and then contracting the edge, or shorter, or narrower outer wall of the U formation inwardly under the edge of the flange, whereby when the flange is free to react, or spring outwardly, it will hook onto, or press against, the lip of the outer wall of the U formation so that the ring and closure are preliminarily attached together with sufficient security to be shipped, and handled, and placed as a unit in the machine for assembling them onto the end of the barrel.

I0 designates the closure which in the illustrated embodiment is discoidal to fit a cylindrical container body or barrel. As before stated, the closure is formed of fibrous material as paper stock, and I2 designates the annular outwardly flaring marginal flange.

I3 designates the metal ring U-shaped, or inverted U-shaped, in general form in cross section. The ring is usually formed with one side wall of the U formation I4 of greater width, in an axial direction, than the outer wall I5.

I6 designates the inturned, crimped, or contracted lip at the edge of the outer wall I5 on which the edge of the flange presses under the reaction of its own resiliency, so that the closure II] and the ring are preliminarily frictionally secured together by a snap catch action due to the coaction of the flange I2 and the lip I6.

As seen in Figure 6, the ring and flange of the disk normally occupy the relative position there shown and then, the disk is moved downwardly to cause the flange I2 to clear the edge of the outer wall I5 ofthe U formation and then, pressed inwardly into the position shown in Figure 7 in which it occupies approximately .a right angular position to the body of the disk I0.

When the parts are in this position, the flange is brought into the channel of the U formation by a relative axial movement of the ring and the closure, as seen in Figure 8, and then the edge of the outer wall I5 of the'U formation is crimped, or contracted, inwardly to form the lip I6, (Figure 9), and then the flange I2 allowed to react under its own resiliency to press against this inturned lip (Figures 4-5). Enough space is maintained between the side walls of the channel to permit the marginal edge of the barrel to be pressed into the channel and again press the flange I2 out of engagement with the lip I6 and into an upright position, so that when the ring, or the outer wall I 5 thereof, is further contracted,

as in the manner shown in my copending appli cation above referred to, the closure is firmly locked to the barrel.

The machine here shown for carrying out this invention comprises upper and lower dies having relative movement, a carrier for carrying the closures with the rings laid thereon to the dies, and means for effecting relative movement of the dies and for actuating the carrier and timing the movement of the dies and the carrier. The machine here illustrated includes dies and mechanism for punching out the disks from blank stock.

2| and 22 designate upper and lower dies for punching the closures from a web or sheet stock 23. The upper die being movable toward and from the lower, and being carried by a reciprocating head 24 actuated from a shaft 25 and guided by a suitable way or guide 25 carried by a standard supported by the frame of the punching machine.

This machine has the general organization of a punch press, and the frame includes a suitable base 21 having a bed 28 supporting the lower die '22, and an upwardly extending bracket 29 supporting a bearing for the drive shaft 25. The punch press, or punch press mechanism, per se forms no part of this invention.

It also includes suitable feed mechanism for feeding the paper stock from a suitable source or roll between the punching dies 2| and 22, the operation of the feeding mechanism being intermittent and operating to feed the stock to between the dies during the opening movement of the upper die ZI, or while it is open, and while the carrier is stationary.

This feeding mechanism includes upper and lower rolls 30 and 3| between which a margin of the blank strip 23 feeds, and actuating mechanism including an oscillating rack 32 having one end connected on a crank pin 33 on a disk 34' on the drive shaft 25, and meshing with a gear, not shown, on a shaft 35 having a miter gear 36 thereon meshing witha miter gear 31 on the'shaft 38 on which the roll 3| is mounted. The shaft 33 has a spur gear 40 thereon meshing with the spur gear Al on the axle of the upper roll 30'. The feeding mechanism forms no part of this invention.

designates generally the carrier or conveyor, this being of any suitable form, size and construction. It is here shown as a chain carrying beds or plates 5| having openings 52 for receiving the disks after they have been punched out by the dies 2I and 22, after which the disks are forced downwardly through the die 22 by the presser foot 53, and formed with the flaring flanges I 2.

The upper run of the conveyor moves through a suitable passage in the bed 28 below the lower die 22, and is so located and timed in its operation as to bring the plates 5| with their openings in line with the opening of the lower die 22. The chain carrier runs over suitable pulleys or sprockets 54, 55 carried respectively by the frame 2'! and by the frame of a bench or table 56 extending from the frame 21.

As thus far described, the operation is as follows: The paper stock is fed by the rolls 36, 3|, between the dies 2 I, 22 and then, the upper die 2I is actuated to coact with the lower die 22 to punch out the discoidal closure IS with the outwardly flaring flange I2, and in so doing place the disk in the opening 52 of one of the plates 5! of the carrier.

Supported by the table or frame 56, at a point remote from the punch press, is a second set of dies for performing the method of preliminarily attaching the metal ring |3 to the closure Hi. This consists of an upper die 60 and a lower die 6 l, the upper die being movable toward and from the lower die and being carried by a vertically reciprocating head 62 which is actuated in any suitable manner. The lower die 6| is carried by a bed 63 supported by the table 56.

A presser foot 64 is carried by the head 62 and located in advance of the die 60 and being retrogradely movable against compression springs 65. A similar spring pressed presser foot, in the form of a flat ring 66, is carried by the bed 63 within the die 6 I, this being depressible against compression springs 6?. Normally, the top of the ring 66 is located co-planary with the bottoms of the carriers 5!. An additional die or ring 68 is located within the lower die 6| and arranged concentric therewith. The dies 6 I, 68, are suitably supported in a die block 69. The die 68 is formed with an upwardly extending annular ring or portion 10. The upper edge of the portion 10 of the die 68 projects slightly above the curved bottom wall ll of the recess and die 6|. The purpose of this structure will be hereinafter explained.

The head 62 is carried by a reciprocating plunger 12 suitably mounted in a standard 13 and actuated from a shaft H! mounted in the standard l3 and having a sprocket wheel 15 thereon over which runs a chain 16, this chain also running over a suitable sprocket wheel, not shown, on the drive shaft 25. The carrier is actuated from this shaft M through suitable mechanism here shown as a reciprocating rack 11 mounted at one end on an eccentric or crank pin 18 on the disk #9 on the shaft 14, and meshing with a gear 80 on the shaft 8| on which the sprocket wheel is mounted. Through a suitable one way clutch or ratchet mechanism, unnecessary to describe, the gear 88 is actuated and hence, the shaft 8| actuated only during the downward movement of the rack ll' so that the carrier 50 is given an intermittent feeding movement, the top run of the chain moving to the right in Figure 1 and in Figure 2 moving to the left.

The movable dies 2| and are so timed as to operate only while the carrier plates 5| are at rest, but as the timing operation of this type is well known, further description is thought to be unnecessary. The head 62 is provided with alining pins 82 which enter recesses 83 formed in the confronting edges of the plates 5|.

After the disks IJ have been punched out and formed with the outwardly flaring flanges I2 by the dies 2| and 22, they are carried by the carrier plates 5|, one by one to the dies 60, BI, 68, and while moving from one set of dies to the other, an attendant places the rings |3 on the closures H3 so that they assume a position shown to the left of Figure 3, or as shown in Figure 6. The head 62 then descends, causing the presser foot 64 to press the disk against the lower presser foot 66 carrying the disk with the flaring flange i2 into the die 6| against the conical or inclined surface 84.

It will be observed that the recess in the die BI is somewhat smaller than the recess in the carrier plates 5|. Accordingly, as the disk Ill moves downwardly between the presser plates 64, 66, the flange |2 is bent upwardly, and the base of the flange adjacent the disk bottom portion of the closure is forced within the upstanding annular wall of die 68. This downward movement of the closure and die parts continues until the presser plate 66 rests upon the bottom of the recess in die 68, as indicated in the right hand portion of Figure 3. When the closure is forced into the die 68, the flange I2 is swung upwardly and inwardly at substantially right angles to the disk bottom portion of the closure.

Previous to the time presser plate 64 contacts closure H], the indexing or alining finger 82 has entered the recesses between the carrier plates 5| alining the carrier plate over die 6| so that it is concentric therewith.

The compression springs 65 are slightly stronger than the springs 61 effecting full downward movement of the closure ||l previous to the compression of the springs 65.

The outer wall I5 of the ring l3 rests against the conical surface 84 of the die 6| and is there suspended while the presser plate 64 is forcing the closure l6 downwardly. and when the presser plate 66 rests in the bottom of the die 68, further downward movement of the head 62 compresses the spring 65, and the die 60 forces the ring 53 downwardly into the die 6|. As the die 66 forces the ring I3 into the die 6|, the curved bottom 1| of the recess in the die 6| forms the inturned lip IE on the outer wall |5 of the ring l3, as indicated in Figure 9 and to the right in Figure 3. It will be observed that in this step of the process the upwardly extending annular portion 10 of die 68 extends between the periphery of the flange I2 and the inturned lip l6 of the ring. The space now occupied by the ring 10 of die 68 is later taken up by the marginal edge or end of the barrel of the container when the closure l0 and z.

the ring I3 is finally assembled thereto at the users plant. By this method, the arcuate portion of the ring l3 at its diameter is formed to the correct dimension so as to avoid any trouble in having the ring and closure properly fit the open end of the container barrel during the final assembling process.

During this crimping operation, or formation of the lip N5, the die section 68 folds the flange l2 into nearly an upright position, as seen at the right hand of Figure 3 and in Figure 8. The head 62 then moves upward to its starting position, and the lower presser foot 66 reacts under the springs 61, bringing the now finished closure with the ring l3 preliminarily attached, back into the opening 52 in the plate 5| in juxtaposition to the dies, so that on the next indexing movement of the carrier. the finished ring is carried out from between the dies and another closure and ring, to be attached, moved into juxtaposition to the dies. When the plates 5! move around the pulley 55, the closures, with the rings preliminarily at tached, are ejected or fall out into a suitable reoeiver. The closures, with the rings preliminarily attached thereto, are then shipped in compact packages with collapsed barrels to the consumer who attaches these closures to the end of barrels. This is done by a machine, one form of which is shown in my application above referred to.

The general operation of the machine here shown is as follows: The drive shaft 25 is connected to a suitable source of power which constantly rotates it and when once started in operation, the paper stock or sheet 23 is fed to between the dies 2|, 22, when the dies are open and the carrier stationary, then the head 24 descends, punching out the closure I0 and forming the flaring flange i2. The carrier 50 then feeds one step through the feed mechanism including the rack I? and, during the continued step by step movements, these disks on the portions of the carrier between the punch press 2! and 22 and the press, including the dies 60, 6|, 68, are provided with the rings i3 by the attendant, and eventually the carrier brings the rings one by one into juxtaposition to the dies 60, BI, 68, he operation of which is timed and operates while the carrier is stationary.

This invention relates primarily to temporarily forming the rings and the flanges I 2 so that they hold together, as a unit, to be placed in the customers machine by which he assembles the closure to the barrel.

What I claim is:-

1. The method of preliminarily attaching a metal ring to a closure of paper stock to be attached to a paper collapsible container having open ends, which closure is provided with an outwardly flaring circumferential resilient flange and which ring is U-shaped in general form in cross section, consisting in laying the ring on the closure concentric therewith, bringing the edge of the flange into the channel of the U formation, allowing the flange to spring outwardly into engagement with the outer wall of the ring, thereby preliminarily securing the flange and the ring together.

2 The method of preliminarily attaching a metal ring to a closure of paper stock to be attached to a paper collapsible container having open ends, which closure is provided with an outwardly flaring circumferential resilient flange and which ring is U-shaped in general form in cross section, consisting in laying the ring on the closure concentric therewith, bringing the edge of the flange into the channel of the U formation, allowing the resilient flange to spring outwardly into engagement with the outer wall of the ring, thereby preliminarily securing together the flange and the ring, with space in the widthwise direction of the channel for permitting the moving of the flange away from said edge and the insertion of the margin of the barrel in the channel alongside the flange.

3. The method of preliminarily attaching a metal ring to end closures of paper stock material to be attached to a paper stock barrel of collapsible containers, which closure is provided with an outwardly flaring circumferential resilient flange and which ring is U-shaped in general form in cross section, consisting in laying the ring on the closure concentric therewith, bringing the edge of the flange into the channel of the U formation and contracting the edge of the outer wall of the U formation over the edge of the flange, allowing the flange to spring outwardly into engagement with the contracted edge of said outer wall, thereby preliminarily securing the flange and the ring together with space in the widthwise direction of the channel for permitting the moving of the flange away from said edge and the insertion of the margin of the barrel in the channel alongside the flange.

4. The method of preliminarily attaching a metal ring to end closures of paper stock material to be attached to the paper stock barrel of collapsible containers, which closure is provided with an outwardly flaring annular marginal flange, and which ring is U-shaped in general form in cross section with the inner side of the U formation wider than the outer side, consisting in laying the ring on and substantially concentric with the flange of the closure with the flange projecting toward the channel of the U formation, and

the longer wall of the U formation resting on the closure, contracting the flange toward a more right angular relation to the body of the closure, and moving the edge of the flange into the channel of the U-shaped ring formation by relative axial movement of the ring and the closure, and partly contracting the edge of the shorter wall of the U formation inwardly under the edge of the flange, whereby the flange and the ring are preliminarily secured together by the flange pressing against the inner contracted edge of the shorter wall of the channel with space for the insertion of the margin of the barrel and final crimping of the ring on the barrel and the flange.

5. A closure unit to be attached to the end of a barrel, said unit consisting of a closure disk having a circumferential marginal flange extending outwardly from the periphery of the closure at an obtuse angle relatively thereto, a metal ring for securing the closure to the barrel, said ring being U-shaped in general form in cross section, the inner wall of the U formation having its edge overlying the closure adjacent the base of said flange and with said flange extending substantially diagonally across the U formation, with the outer edge of the flange in frictional interlocking engagement with the outer wall of the U formation, the channel of the U formation being of suificient width to permit the insertion of the edge of the barrel between the outer wall of the ring and said flange when the latter is pressed into a position approaching a right angle to the body of the closure.

6. A closure unit to be attached to the end of a barrel, said unit comprising a discoidal closure having a marginal circumferential flange extending outwardly from the periphery of the closure and at an obtuse angle relatively thereto, a metal ring for securing the closure to the barrel, said ring being U-shaped in general form in cross section and having its inner wall of greater width in the axial direction than its outer wall, the said inner wall of the U formation having its edge overlying the base of the flange, and said flange extending substantially diagonally across the U formation with the outer edge of the flange in frictional engagement with the outer wall of the ring, the channel of the U formation being of sufficient width to permit insertion of the. edge of the barrel between the outer wall of the ring and the flange of the closure, when the latter is pressed into a position approaching a right angle to the body of the closure.

7. A closure unit to be attached to the end of a barrel, said unit comprising a discoidal closure having a marginal circumferential flange extending outwardly from the periphery of the closure and at an obtuse angle relatively thereto, and a metal ring for securing the closure to the barrel, said ring being U-shaped in general form in cross section and having its inner wall of greater width in the axial direction than its outer wall, the lower edge of said outer wall being crimped inwardly toward said inner wall, said inner wall having its edge overlying the base of said flange, and said flange extending substantially diagonally across the U formation, with the outer edge of the flange in engagement with said crimp, the channel of said U formation being of suflioient width to permit insertion of the edge of the barrel between said crimp and the flange of the closure when the latter is pressed into a position approaching a rightangle to the body of the closure.

GEORGE s. JONES. 

